'Sparkle' has shining moments, despite predictable material

Tristar Pictures

Whitney Houston is the mother in "Sparkle," her last movie before her death this year.

"Sparkle" takes a familiar path through a classic, melodramatic story - talented sisters chasing their musical dreams amid a range of family drama - and offers little in the way of the unexpected.

The one surprise: how ultimately satisfying it actually is.

In this remake of the 1976 musical of the same name, the characters easily fall in types: overprotective mother, good sister, bad sister, smart sister, the right man, the wrong man, etc.

It's largely to the individual actors' credit that memorable characters are created from well-worn ideas.

Jordin Sparks is radiant and hints at more acting potential than she's allowed to display. As Sparks' concerned mother (and a former singer herself), Whitney Houston gives a solid, understated performance, but much of the power of her role comes from the shadow of her death. It's impossible to separate her performance from the circumstances.

Carmen Ejogo, as the sexy, self-destructive sister, steals the movie, aided and abetted by Mike Epps, as the comedian who drags her down with drugs and violence. Nothing that happens to them is in the least surprising, but Ejogo especially is fascinating.

Director Salim Akil keeps the action quick and simple, leaving lots of time for the music - an excellent decision, considering the strengths of the cast. Houston's "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" is a poignant reminder of the vocal power she still had at the end, as well as how much she had lost.

The storytelling in "Sparkle" is refreshingly tame and as old-fashioned as the story itself, making it appropriate for young "American Idol" fans. The turmoil of late-'60s Detroit is referenced but not dwelled on, keeping the drama personal and family-based.

One random note: Despite the trailer and marketing campaign, Cee Lo Green's role is little more than an amusing cameo. He is gone in the first five minutes.